Barbie fugitive nabbed
14 Jun 2009
Dirk Prinsloo, one of South Africa's most wanted criminals, has been arrested in Belarus in Eastern Europe following an attempted bank robbery.
Prinsloo jumped bail more than three years ago while standing trial with his ex-fiancee Cezanne Visser, also known as Advocate Barbie, after the Pretoria High Court had granted him permission to travel to Russia.
This prompted a worldwide search for the man accused of a series of sex crimes in South Africa and who became one of the world's 130 most wanted criminals.
Prinsloo had said in email correspondence sent to the media in April that he felt that his "end is probably near".
On Friday that end arrived when Belarus police nabbed him for his alleged part in a failed bank robbery in the town of Baronovichi on Wednesday, 702 news reported on Saturday night.
Police spokesperson Director Sally de Beer, said Interpol had confirmed Prinsloo's arrest on Saturday morning after informing the South African Police Service of his arrest on Friday night.
Balaclava-wearing Prinsloo and two alleged accomplices armed with a firearm and a knife tried to rob a bank on Wednesday.
"They demanded cash, but the cashiers in the bank refused to co-operate with them.
"The bank staff overpowered the two accomplices, who were arrested when police arrived, but Prinsloo fled.
"The local police tracked him down and arrested him on Friday at 5.30pm," said De Beer.
The Belarus police have formally acknowledged that Prinsloo is wanted in South Africa and have offered their full co-operation in extraditing him to stand trial in Pretoria.
He will, however, only be extradited after he has stood trial in Belarus and served time in jail, if found guilty of the attempted bank robbery.
"We will, however, start the extradition process in the meantime," said de Beer.
The arrest of Prinsloo came six months after crime intelligence boss Ray Lalla met the Russian, Czechoslovakian and Belarus police in Russia about Prinsloo.
"It shows we were on the right track. We are very happy to hear that he is behind bars," said De Beer.
In court, Visser has denied guilt on 14 charges ranging from rape and soliciting minors to commit indecent acts to manufacturing child pornography.
Her trial is set to resume tomorrow after it was postponed in March.
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